I test the AI tools, design trends, and brand moves marketers are talking about, then tell you what holds up and what doesn’t. Written by the author of the bestselling The Visual Marketer, after 20+ years leading brand, creative, and digital experience marketing teams.
#9
9 August 2023 | Issue #9 |
Hi all! I’m on a city-sized ship floating around the North Pacific right now. So instead of new news, I’ll share a new article and some other recent articles you may have missed.
Adobe employees are worried that the software behemoth is introducing AI tools that will cost graphic designers their careers. I dig into why this might be happening in my latest blog post. Gartner recently released its Hype Cycle for Artificial Intelligence. If you want to see where generative AI landing and where it's going, read my recap. The thing to remember about business leaders is they are driven by metrics. In a way, we're all driven by metrics (how much money did you make last month, what are your bills this month?). But in business, leaders are responsible for looking at those same questions on a much larger scale. If you're a designer, it's harder to present quantitative data to show your value. Harder, but not impossible. In this blog post, I outline some stats that you can pre-emptively show to your leadership to show how the work you provide adds value to the business. Gartner issued another report recently on the impact generative AI will have on jobs. I gave my thoughts on it here. Employers and clients demand the absolute best design work ... unless they're the ones doing the work. Or they can save a few bucks. For many companies, "good enough" will be enough. Read about how this can be bad for designers. More articles: Report: AI Will Reach Human-Level Performance Much Earlier Than Originally Projected Designers are in Denial When it Comes to AI Also, I'm now offering a 15-minute one-on-one to help you set up your generative AI systems. If you don't know where to get started, let's chat! HOW CAN I HELP YOU?
|
14 Grapevine Road, Merrimack, NH 03054 |
Marketing by Design – Design thinking that makes marketing work
I test the AI tools, design trends, and brand moves marketers are talking about, then tell you what holds up and what doesn’t. Written by the author of the bestselling The Visual Marketer, after 20+ years leading brand, creative, and digital experience marketing teams.
09 November 2026 | Issue #139 In this issue: Marketing is your starting pitcher MPB2B Design quote of the week Marketing is Your Starting Pitcher In baseball, the starting pitcher is the star. Fans pick the night they buy tickets around who is on the mound, and an ace can make a game must-see and nearly guarantee a win. Teams pay for it. In 2026, a pitcher was the highest-paid player on 12 of 30 MLB teams, and Zack Wheeler leads the way at $42M. Middle relievers carry the game to the closer,...
26 October 2026 | Issue #138 In this issue: Creativity is less important than consistency Amazing real-world video effects Design quote of the week Why Consistency Beats Creativity in B2B Branding Your audience isn’t nearly as familiar with your brand as you are. And that’s a problem when you’re constantly changing it. Years ago, I worked with a CMO who had a habit of explaining our solution story to the marketing team. Over and over again. He’d stand at a whiteboard or one of the glass walls...
11 October 2026 | Issue #137 In this issue: Avoid these AI design tropes Don't use Muse if you like privacy Design quote of the week I Know You Used AI for Your Design You already know the em dash is a dead giveaway of AI writing (sorry, Ann Handley). Design has its own tells, and there are a lot of them. None of them is wrong on its own. A good writer can use an em dash on purpose, and a good designer can use any pattern below on purpose. They become a tell when they show up because nobody...